Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, June 11 to June 17

Good morning!

I have twelve feature stories to share with you today - and more yet posted, since I'm working straight through to Monday. So do check back on The Herald-News site: shawlocal.com/the-herald-news. 

Over the last couple of months, I also wrote an additional nineteen stories for a special "Thank You, Teachers," edition that will ran in print and online on May 5. You can check out all those stories at this link: https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/thank-you/teachers/

I also wrote a three-part series on the impact of COVID on kids, which you will at the bottom of this blog.

On the fiction side of things, we recently released Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being. It's not available in the BryonySeries bookstore yet, or on Kindle yet,  but it is available on Amazon.

I have incorporated three-fourths of the edits for Call of the Siren (the second book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy, with gorgeous cover art by Nancy Calkins) from the proof copy and still need to do likewise with Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones (with artwork by Sue Midlock). Despite working this weekend, I hope to finish these edits on off-times this weekend.

I'm currently outlining the final book in the BryonySeries Limbo trilogy: House on Top of the Hill. 

And I'm also working on a guide book to the series called: Welcome to Munsonville: the People, Places, and Things of the BryonySeries.

Next up in the series: a Sherlock Holmes parody (the main character is Sherman Homes). Timothy and I (FINALLY!) had a wonderful Cornell breakfast last Sunday, so the story is already in progress. Sue Midlock is already working on the cover and the interior art: Sherman Homes and the Howls of Basketville.

Jennifer Wainright (frontispiece artist for Lycanthropic Summer) has completed two portraits for  "Girls of the BryonySeries" series for tween girls and is currently working on a third. The portraits are beautiful and it shows that artist Jennifer Wainright can draw anything from werewolves to portraits! 

Rebekah has completed cover art for two of "Girls of the BryonySeries" books. They are beautiful! One book in this series of eight books is completely written, a second is halfway written, and the rest are outlined. 

Rebekah is also working on updating the BryonySeries YouTube and Pinterest accounts, so watch for those.

Now back to the twelve stories. Simply click on the link of the story that looks interesting to you. Happy scrolling!

But before the stories, I have a list of additional resources and information. Please check them out, too -

Finally, if you'd like to find more kindness in your life, consider this book.

And have a great Friday!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Sue's Diner is a fictional restaurant in the fictional Munsonville that only exists in the BryonySeries.

Each Sunday, we post a new recipe. The recipe is either featured in one of our cookbooks or will be featured in an upcoming cookbook.

Check out the recipe here.

WRITERS

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to join WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

If you'd like to officially join WriteOn Joliet, we have two tiers of dues. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

I also suggest this book: Little Book of Revision: A Checklist for Fiction Writers. It's exactly as it says. Each page some with one suggestion for revision. The rest of the page is blank, so you can add your own notes. All proceeds benefit WriteOn Joliet.

If you need support in your writing, I highly recommend this Twitter group: #5amwritersclub. I  joined it last year. Writers support each other on Twitter and meet every three weeks at 5 a.m. (4 a.m. CST - needless to say, I am often late!) on Zoom.

If you need editing or help with self-publishing, check out dmbaranunland.com.

ARTISTS

If you need an artist for a project, I offer these recommendations.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for The Munsonville Times by emailing us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. The newsletter still isn't official yet, so we don't have an actual link on the website - but we are working on it! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daily updates: I do post the briefs on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries on Twitter at @BryonySeries and assorted related content at facebook.com/BryonySeries, youtube.com/user/BryonySeries, and themes of each book in the BryonySeries at pinterest.com/bryonyseries.

And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

BRYONYSERIES BOOKS

For books and more information about the series, visit bryonyseries.com.

BRYONYSERIES EVENTS

A full month of virtual events can be found at bryonyseries.com/calendar-of-events.

QUESTIONS

Email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

FEATURES

Annual garden walk raises funds for pediatric program at Joliet hospice: Eileen Gutierrez: ‘I think it’s a wonderful way to spend a Saturday

Spare the gas, not the fun: check out 25 fun things to do close to Joliet: With gas prices soaring, here are some free or low-cost options that won’t cause pain at the pump.

New Lenox VFW announces teen winners of T-shirt and flyer design contest: The shirts and flyers are used to market and raise funds for suicide prevention in veterans

Pets of the Week: June 13, 2022: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption.

Chill out this week – your health depends on it: Too much fun in the sun isn’t a good idea for the next couple of days

To James McElroy of Morris, every day is Flag Day: McElroy said it’s a ‘privilege’ to be an American

2 ways to celebrate Juneteenth on Sunday in Joliet: Celebrating Juneteenth is a good way to start building empathy

Joliet Township High School Foundation to host online auction Thursday through Monday: Proceeds benefit JTHS students, faculty, and staff 

Joliet Wild Birds celebrating grand reopening on June 24, June 25 and June 26: Wild Birds sells products for backyard bird feeding,

5 Things to do in Will County: Treat dad to a picnic at the Croatian Cultural Club on Sunday: Take the kids to a petting zoo at the Joliet Public Library on Saturday.

How we actually stay cool in the heat - and are we doing it well?: Silver Cross ER doctor said people should use common sense.

New Lenox quilting group has made and donated thousands of quilts in nearly 30 years: Dircks: ‘It’s just a matter of passing our love along’

Kids and COVID

COVID-19 didn’t leave kids unscathed: Aschinberg: ‘Like any negative social event, kids who are most at risk bear most of the brunt’

The pandemic was a lonely time for kids: Loss of in-school experiences, sports affected many youth on some level.

Facing the post-pandemic: ‘We know when something is off with our children’: Showing kids how to talk about feelings is a good first step toward protecting their mental health. 

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage"

The Twilight Zone (Classic): The Midnight Sun - Waterfall

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Do You Know When Gatorade and Zinc Oxide Are Not Enough?

Monday, July 22, 2013

Do You Know When Gatorade and Zinc Oxide Are Not Enough?

When the heat index is 107!!!

Yes, deranged power walker that I am, I wound up with heat exhaustion Friday, and it's my own stupid fault.

With the soaring temperatures and humidity, I've really tried getting my walk out of the way first thing in the morning, but we all know how THAT can go.

Some days, the early mornings are just so busy that walks gets delayed until mid to late morning. Since I'm allergic to the sun and dehydrate very easily (as I sweat very little), I'm generally very cautious about pushing it in the sun.

Until this year.

The wonderful white goopy mixture of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide I plaster all over my skin before leaving the house has meant absolutely NO hiving, burning, welting, blistering etc., for the first time in several decades. Plus, I've found that crossing back to the house for Gatorade (Fierce Grape, what else?) I've not been plagued with tortuous foot cramps this year, either.

In fact, I've done so well, I've forgotten to be cautious. And therein lies my foolishness.

On Friday, I missed the morning walk due to end of the week deadlines and needing to accompany a cardiologist appointment with one of my sons. By mid-afternoon, with the most pressing deadlines out of the way, I decided to reward myself with a walk. It was already three o'clock; weren't the hours between ten a.m. and two p.m. considered the most dangerous?

Armed with the delusion that it was now safe for race-walking, I made sure I had a large bottle of Gatorade chilling in the refrigerator, gooped myself up, drank down a couple of glasses of water, grabbed head phones and bounded out the door.

By the time I'd rounded the first block, I was feeling the intense heat and briefly--and only briefly--wondered if I ought to turn back (I hear the choruses of "YES!!!" all the way here).

Instead, I rounded back to the house after twenty minutes, sprayed myself with water, guzzled some of the Gatorade and a big glass of water, and dashed back out the door.

I repeated this twice more (as the water quickly evaporated) and at the end of the hour (I usually walk ninety minutes), my surroundings suddenly became surreal. At first I decided I simply needed more fluids, but when home seemed very far away and hard to find, I decided to call it quits. As I stepped into the air conditioned house, my cell phone rang.

It was a friend who had been tried really hard to remove an ink stain from one of Timothy's chef coats. He, along with the rest of the Joliet Junior College's culinary competition team, are competing for the national title this week in Las Vegas. If the stain could have been removed, Timothy could have taken three chef coats with him. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

As my friend talked, and as I tried to babble out something sounding halfway coherent in response, I doused myself with water from the kitchen sprayer, polished off the rest of the Gatorade, and then began madly gulping water. I was dizzy, shaky, tingly, and just could not cool down. I said some hurried goodbyes (I think) and started drenching cloths and laying them over me. Rebekah suggested a cool shower, but I was afraid I might actually pass out in there.

It took two hours for the redness to leave my skin. I was somewhat rational by the time Fr. Joseph arrived for a Typica service (as Timothy was flying out Sunday morning, this Communion service acceptably replaced Sunday's Divine Liturgy).

By bedtime (no Friday Fiction for me, as I had two stories to cover the next day), the shakiness and tingling had diminished. I mostly felt spaced out, dizzy, and tired, and those feelings were still present the next morning.

By the time I left to cover the first event--a powwow--I had drunk over a gallon of water and was starting to improve. En route, I drank a quart of Gatorade. At the event, I drank two water bottles.

Then, because the newspaper wanted the story by five o'clock, I cancelled my attendance at the second event and arranged to obtain the information electronically and via phone.

Sunday morning, I was almost back to normal. It was cooler, so I took my customary walk. That fatigued me enough for a nap. After the nap, the ol' Denise had returned. I spent the rest of the day working.

This morning, I was out the door at eight o'clock, later than I wanted but still acceptable for my purposes. Hopefully, I have learned my lesson.

Hopefully.